Why do you think so many people live paycheck to paycheck (the most common reason)?

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous rent costs

Not saving money wisely

Not a high enough paying job

Other

[Anonymous]

Not to sound like that wackjob Bernie Sanders, but it's a rigged system. Just not in the way Bernie professes. You're either born into wealth or you're not. And if you're not it's an uphill battle to reach a comfortable lifestyle. Because everything along the way is designed to keep you where you're at. Not poor necessarily, but always on the treadmill of wage earning. Like a good little tax paying drone.

But you ask why most people live paycheck to paycheck. Because 2 main reasons. 1. No one wants to put off satisfaction now. We are a capitalistic society an this is what drives it. Keeping up with the joneses. If people make more, they typically turn around and spend more. The avg. Savings and retirement in America is proof of that. And 2. If you're born poor you think poor. And it is very hard to break that mindset. My mother was this way. She never had more than a couple nickels to rub together (she also ALWAYS paid her debts because she was a woman of honor). Whenever she came into money (which wasn't often) she said, "if i don't spend it, someone else is just going to take it". And she was generous to everyone.

Having both been poor and (statistically speaking) on the cusp of being wealthy, i feel like i have a pretty good handle on this. I'm not mired in the "poor" mindset anymore. But i think it'll permeate me for the rest of my life. I have to fight it everytime i make a stock trade. You cannot have a sentimental attachment to money and be successful. You have to view it as a tool. And that tool is either working for you, or you're working for it.

[Static_In_The_Attic]

As for living paycheck to paycheck people live that way due to a combination of things. As for the cost of living it’s definitely up however what people get paid isn’t up as well. As for saving, people aren’t saving nowadays or it’s hard to save. People are spending.

In addition a lot of people nowadays can’t hold jobs, bounce job to job, don’t want to work or they just want to work part time mooching off family or friends.

In life there are WANTS & there are NEEDS & if you want to save you are going to have to learn to separate those two.

[Anonymous]

For me it's chronic illness
I have a better job than some college jobs but its physical
Whenever my pain flares up or im too tired, I can leave, but with no pay. Every day you stay it's an hour of unpaid time.
Also sometimes they dont have work and just offer to take you off and give you another hour free. That, i can manage because I get paid weekly, but when I have flare ups I have to take leaves.
It's paid, but 60% of my check, no money the first week and you have to wait for the money to get approved
I just had to deal with it
The people said 3-4 business days but it ended up taking 3 weeks
During that time, to get approved you gotta get paperwork from your doctor, so im dealing with bills and daily living expenses with no money coming in. After a while you start using credit cards and loans to help and the interest piles up but your chronic illness is still unpredictable and you gotta take another leave, gotta pay another copay, again and again, gotta balance interest and bills. 1 ER visit $300, 1 urgent care visit $60, 1 MRI visit $90, 1 specialist visit $60, primary $30. therapy $30 blood work $30 Meds $30
Last year I met my deductible 2,500 but every year, it starts over. That's just for the co pays not life
So that credit card you paid off goes back to minimum payments. I still want to have a life too so I squeeze some enjoyment in there too. Even that's getting expensive. Is that wrong?

[Opinion Owner]

1 minutes im living below my means and then the other minute my im living above my means
I can't juggling but I try, still in pain though and I want another job but the economy isn't making that easy
I have to find a job that won't give me flares. The only reason im surviving is because of the flexibility at work , but soon that might run out...

[purplepoppy]

Imagine 2 people doing the same job, same wage. One was lucky enough to inherit a house in a decent area close to work the other wasn't and has to pay rent for a house in a less desirable area further away.

One has no housing costs to pay, less travel costs, and because he's in a nicer area his car insurance will be very low. He's got money to save and so things like repairs, dental costs, etc don't affect him.

The other is the exact opposite, he's living pay cheque to pay cheque

[Levin]

The cheapest rent where I live is £1000 per month. A basic salary is like £1800 after tax. Where I live of course you can have a higher salary, but for a skilled job it's not vastly more than that.

You can earn a lot more than that by being a director, doctor, civil engineer etc. But for obvious reasons I'm not going to be a civil engineer.

[Calyptomaniac]

I wouldn't pick one most common. Rent is high, cost of everything is high, inflation, wages that don't keep up with it all the time, and some people just kind of stubbornly decide to only have one job when they probably need a part time second or something on the side but convince themselves that one full-time *should* be enough and think they shouldn't have to do more even if they know they should or need to

[RavVid]

It is more spending by dribbling. I allow myself a fixed amount per day and if I exceed that it comes off what I can spend the next day.

I think a lot of people are "Oh they have chocolate bars. I will get one" and it dribbles the money out in small amounts that accumulate to significant amounts.

After I changed to being penny wise, the dollars took care of themselves.

[Snakeyes7]

Ridiculous rent costs, likely due to high property taxes.

30 years ago, the pay would be fine. We need to figure out the cause of why everything is so expensive because it's easier than burning everything down and replacing it with communism, I can promise you that.

[Malwi93]

its itneresting most people responded "rent". i am trying to figure out a middle ground between being completely homeless and a house. because i dont even need one, its too much committment for me and boring as well. my fam used to have that vacation house in heavily wooded remote area and i basically loved camping there as a kid. i think i will just restart that

[strateguy632]

too vague. you mean don't save money? because they use credit cards to buy too much stuff. average American has more credit card debt total, than 20 poor Africans salary combined.

[NathanDavis]

consumerism...

economies that are fueled by consumerism lead most people to get by... by the minimum

[Alex-Snow]

It seems to be getting worse with high gas prices, health care costs going up and groceries which are out of control. People need to cut back and stick with necessities not luxuries.

[Lliam]

Their income barely covers their necessities.

[Anonymous]

Currency is collapsing because it's not endorsed by real money anymore, all by design to implement a social credit space system where the common serf with own nothing and the elites will own everything

[Dargil]

I think they can deserve more than they can afford.

[Anonymous]

The education, training, experience and skills are not high enough to earn enough to support themselves, and they don't do anything about it, they just keep working in their cubicles every day and complaining that they don't make enough money.

[Saxvaxxx]

Rent cost, food cost, depending on salary, etc

[Jackblue]

Incompetent democratic cities making too many zoning laws.

[darkcloud1945]

It should have been all of the above and a few more reasons, instead of other

[Flower7]

The income is not high enough.

[exitseven]

They live beyond their means.

[Ariesman81Nshiiit]

Living beyond their means. Simple as that.

[jahaims]

Poor economy due to corruption

[Pterodon]

Democrats taxing the shit out of us

[FrodoSkywalker007]

Costs

[DirtyOldMan777]

all the above